George Mason Jr., age 9, of McAllen, Tex., for his question:
IS THE TIGER A MAN EATER?
Largest member of the cat family is the tiger. The tiger is feared by many because it has a reputation as a man eater. Yet the truth is that most wild tigers are shy and avoid humans. Probably no more than three or four out of every 1,000 tigers ever attacks a person and some of these are sick or wounded animals that can no longer hunt large prey.
You'll find wild tigers only in Asia, and unfortunately there aren't too many of them. Humankind has greatly reduced the number of these animals by hunting them and by clearing many of the forests in which they live.
Tigers living in the wild prefer to be in the shadows and seldom go out into open country as lions do. They can live in almost any climate. They need only shade, water and prey.
You'll find wild tigers in the hot rain forests of Malaya, the dry thorn woods of India and the cold, snowy spruce forests of Manchuria.
The tiger is a favorite zoo animal. Today enough baby tigers are born in captivity to fill the needs of zoos around the world. It is no longer necessary to capture them in the wilds for this purpose.
An adult male tiger is about 9 feet long, including his 3 foot tail. He weighs about 425 pounds. The females only weigh about 300 pounds and they are usually about 8 feet long.
The tiger is famous for its colorful coat. It ranges from brownish yellow to orange red and is marked with black stripes. The stripes vary greatly in length, width and spacing. The fur on the throat, belly and insides of the legs is whitish.
The tiger usually hunts at night. He likes small prey, such as peafowl, monkeys, tortoises and frogs. He also goes after larger prey such as deer, antelopes and wild oxen.
Tigers are extremely swift and can leap nearly 30 feet.
If a tiger doesn't catch its prey quickly, it usually will give up the chase because it tires quickly. As long as a week may go by without a successful hunt.
After the tiger makes a kill, it can drag the carcass a great distance. It prefers to eat near the water and, using its powerful neck, shoulder and foreleg muscles, the tiger can easily drag a 500 pound carcass a quarter of a mile.
The tiger stays near the carcass until it has eaten almost everything except the bones. A tiger may eat 50 pounds of meat in a night. A long drink of water and a nap usually follow a big meal.
Tigers are good swimmers and may swim across rivers or from one island to another in search of prey. On hot nights, they may go into the water simply to cool off.
Tigers can climb trees, but they do not usually do so.
Adult tigers usually live alone but they are not unfriendly to other tigers. Sometimes they meet on their nightly rounds and often they may share a kill.
Many adult males claim a territory as their own and keep other males out. The territory may cover from 25 to 250 square miles or more, depending on the amount of prey available.